Every year, Purple Tuesday reminds us of something crucial — accessibility and inclusion are essentials. It’s a global movement that challenges businesses and organisations to improve the customer experience for disabled people. But as we mark this day, it’s also a perfect moment to go deeper — to rethink how we view disability itself.
For decades, the Social model of disability has provided a powerful framework for understanding the barriers that society creates — physical, attitudinal, and systemic. It tells us that people are not disabled by their impairments but by the way society is organised. It shifts the responsibility away from the individual and places it firmly where it belongs — on inaccessible environments, discriminatory attitudes, and exclusionary systems.
This model has been revolutionary. It has given disabled people a collective voice, a shared language, and a clear direction for social change. Without it, movements like Purple Tuesday simply wouldn’t exist.
But as we continue to evolve our understanding of disability, there’s another model that deserves equal attention — the affirmative model of disability.
Where the social model identifies what is wrong with society, the affirmative model celebrates what is right about being disabled. It is about pride, identity, and belonging. It says that disability is not simply a disadvantage to be overcome, but a unique and valuable part of human diversity. For me it’s about saying “Yes, I face barriers — but I am also proud to be disabled”.
Together, these two models create a powerful partnership.
The social model drives us to change the world — to remove barriers, redesign systems, and challenge prejudice.
The affirmative model helps us reclaim ourselves — to embrace our identity, to live authentically and to celebrate who we are.
When we hold both models together, we move beyond a narrative of limitation or pity. Instead we move toward one of empowerment and celebration.
For businesses and organisations engaging with Purple Tuesday, this means going further than compliance. It’s not just about ramps, accessible websites, or inclusive recruitment processes It’s also about culture — creating environments where disabled people are not just accepted, but also valued, included and celebrated.
So this Purple Tuesday, let’s commit to more than accessibility. Let’s commit to changing the way we think, speak, and feel about disability.
Let’s build a world where the social and affirmative models work hand in hand — a world where disabled people have a voice no matter what.
Inclusion isn’t only about removing barriers. It’s also about recognising the brilliance, creativity, and resilience that disability brings to our collective human experience.
Photo by Wolfgang Hasselmann on Unsplash
